Drinks in the Culture of the Peoples of the Volga- Urals Region*
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Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics 12 (2): 142–146 DOI: 10.2478/jef-2018-0016 DRINKS IN THE CULTURE OF THE PEOPLES OF THE VOLGA- URALS REGION* 3RD ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELD SYMPOSIUM IN LUDORVAY, U DM U RT I A , SE P T E M BE R 18–20, 2018 The tradition of ‘field symposia’ in Ludor- sometimes conferences concentrate on alco- vay, Udmurtia, is the result of cooperation holic drinking (such as the Drinking and between the Open Air Museum and the Driving Is so Much Fun workshop held in Academy of Sciences humanities research Tartu in 2013), this one took into account the institute. The project was started by Elena different kinds of drink that are relevant for Popova, a researcher at the Institute. Pop- the cultures in which they were observed. ova is officially an ethnographer, who later The programme of the symposium was specialised in visual anthropology. How- very rich: there were different kinds of activ- ever, her approach in all her endeavours ities and events, all connected with the topic is really a fully anthropologic approach, of the symposium. The opening was origi- which she implements in the organisation nal in its form. After short speeches by the of these symposia. She is also a passion- director of the museum, the director of the ate fieldworker. This is probably why the research institute and Popova, the Glazov conception underlying these symposia is museum of local history presented a short fieldwork, and connection to present reali- play without words but with songs about ties. Popova also emphasises that one of Udmurt eating and drinking, illustrat- the goals of these symposia is to give the ing the production of crops and other raw museum staff information and inspiration materials. The following event, the opening to invest in their work. of a mysterious ‘landscape exhibition’, was The first two-day gathering, in 2014, was a real surprise for all the participants. The dedicated to the institution of mutual assis- museum is situated in huge grounds (ca 40 tance in the culture of the Peoples of the ha), including a spring, beside which there Volga-Urals region, called in Udmurt veme. is now not only the wooden sculpture of an This approach was widened in 2016, when old woman, but also a functioning device the topic was sacred space in the same for making moonshine. All the participants region, which appears to provide the spa- were offered moonshine directly taken in a tial framework of these symposia. In 2018, wooden spoon, accompanied by welcome the topic was drinks in culture, a topic that songs in the Udmurt tradition. Another is wider than one could imagine. While opening was included in the programme a the geographic area was pre-defined, com- bit later, in the room hosting the presenta- parative approaches are always welcome, tions: a graphic exhibition with paintings and thus some presentations touched upon directly conceived for this event. Anna other Russian regions – such as Siberia – or Shevtsova, an artist from Moscow, had dis- other parts of the world. The understanding covered in 2017 the Udmurt and Udmurt of ‘drinks’ itself was quite extensive: while culture and had accepted the challenge of * This research has been supported by the Estonian Research Council grant PUT590 and the Estonian Kindred Peoples Programme’s project No 782. 142 JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY AND FOLKLORISTICS 12 (2) preparing a personal exhibition one year presented with an offering due the first time later, called Udmurt Tetramorph. We may one drinks. Then, everybody was encour- say that her approach to art is both naïve aged to sing according to their own tradi- and reminiscent of medieval illuminations. tion, and thus we had songs from Austria, She drew inspiration from Udmurt mythol- Hungary, Ireland, from the Eastern Udmurt ogy to create enchanting miniatures. and from the Udmurt from Udmurtia. Ludorvay’s museum has included in its The scientific programme was the core programme different activities, on a daily of the symposium. In addition, a presenta- basis. Among them, they offer their visitors tion of books published by the participants ethnic food and drinks they prepare them- about food and drinking culture had been selves. The symposium was interspersed organised. The main part of the scientific by sessions, usually right after the meals, programme were the presentation sessions in which the staff showed how to prepare that occupied two and a half days. some drinks and offered samples. On the In the construction of the symposium, first day there were samples of herbal tea general issues covered the first session: and, in the evening, Udmurt homemade Tatyana Vladykina, the leading Udmurt beer, sur, as made by Liliya Garayeva, an folklorist, opened the scientific part with a Eastern Udmurt tradition bearer from presentation on the symbolic meaning of Bashkiria. Garayeva had been invited per- food and drink in Udmurt rituals. In the sonally to this symposium and she fully same session, there were two other general participated in the first day: she commented but very different issues on the use of plants on some presentations and even acted as in the preparation of drinks, by ethnobota- informer for some of the participants. Of nist Nadezhda Suntsova, and the presence course, she showed us the process of mak- of drinks in modern social life and their ing sur, but it requires time and must rest use in festivals and in branding, by Elena before consumption, so we tasted one she Po pova. There were also precise studies had prepared at home. The next day we of concrete cultures. From Bashkiria, we discovered non-alcoholic berry drinks, with had two insights: we became thoroughly samples made from wild cherry, guelder acquainted with kumys, the fermented mare rose and blackcurrant, and, in the evening milk drink of the Bashkir, thanks to El’za were introduced to the making of Udmurt Migranova from Ufa. She had brought two kvas, a drink based on crops with the addi- kinds of kumys for the audience to taste at tion of rye bread. Finally, the participants the coffee break. We also reflected on the and the audience were led to the apiary. The use of moonshine in Eastern Udmurt cul- museum makes its own honey and its own ture with a presentation by Anna Baydul- mead, and the staff member responsible for lina, herself from the Udmurt community in the bees, Vladimir Maratkanov, gave every- North-Western Bashkortostan. body a taste. The following section led us far away Every evening, the staff of the museum from Russia, into Western Europe, with two sang, thus giving a living sample of Udmurt presentations about Southern Europe. Both singing traditions: singing is at the core of Mikhail Kabitskiy and Natal’ya Bronnikova Udmurt behaviour and is still very much from Moscow have been exploring the cul- alive. We were offered drink so often that ture of wine in the Latin countries – Italy, we had many opportunities to discover the Spain, Portugal, France, the social habits con- tradition of singing while offering food or nected with its use on the bases of extensive drinks (Rus: ugoshcheniye). The last even- fieldwork (Kabitskiy) and the way wine is ing, we attended the ritual of bereket (‘bar- consumed, with or without water, depend- rel’), where a small barrel of moonshine is ing on the historical period (Bronnikova), on Notes and Reviews 143 the basis of interviews. Jenny Butler (Cork) sian North and investigated, not without introduced the audience to Irish drinking humour, how the 19th century ‘fieldwork- culture, and many unexpectedly recognised ers’ commented on and interpreted the use common features with Udmurt practices… of spirits by indigenous peoples. The next The audience very much enjoyed Christian presentation was humorous per se, because Pischlöger’s presentation about Vienna’s it touched upon caricature related to drink- wines, which was both reflexive and practi- ing and drinkers in the Soviet press (Ivan cal, for Christian had brought the very same Grin’ko and Anna Shevtsova, Moscow). wines he told us about for the audience to Mariya Vyatshina (Tartu, Estonia) concen- taste and discover. trated on one Udmurt village to show the The second day led us to discover differ- impact of anti-alcohol campaigns. Finally, ent practices connected to tea. Sometimes it Denis Kornilov represented the only is also revealing to pinpoint absences and moment of visual anthropology by show- not only presences: coffee was totally miss- ing us two short films, or just edited video ing on those three days, which shows that its material: one he shot in his own village, social use has not been felt to be as relevant about a neighbour who is afflicted with a in the region investigated. The only indirect dependency on alcohol and is trying to presence of coffee was in the last presenta- get free of it and get back some agency in tion of that second morning, that of Maria his own life. Only a very close and trusted Sukhova’s (Glazov) about a collection of person would be able to film such delicate items connected with tea in urban culture, sequences, and Denis is very cautious about in which there were some coffee-related the places where he shows it. The other is as cups. Here, the regional principle was rig- delicate and sensitive, and even more mys- orously respected: we had some insights on terious: four elder women wait somewhere the use of tea by Russians and by Tatars, all and interact while sipping moonshine. No of them in the region announced. We dis- subtitles allow a foreign audience to fol- covered how tea shaped the fate of a town low their conversation, but what they say like Kungur (Ol’ga Renyova, Kungur) and is actually not relevant.